February 7, 2008

Work, Work, Work, Pub, Club, Sleep

Not to keep playing the "Woe Is Me" card, but last night there were people coming home from the Wizards game when I got on the Metro after finally leaving the office. I'm at the point where I've stopped reading blogs because I'm sick of reading about people actually having a life.

But wait! It gets worse. I dropped my iPod on the concrete on the way home and now I'm getting the dreaded Question Mark Folder of Death. I can hear the hard drive clicking when it's trying to retrieve a song.

Dagger.

The good news? I think Mr. Pink is getting the hang of Tumblr, so he's going to start blogging on my behalf.

Pinkmas Celebration

Not sure if you can expect anything new from Team Leafblower for the rest of the year. I'm on my way out to sunny California to take in the Rose Parade, New Years and a whole bunch of other stuff.

Thanks to everyone for checking out in my little slice of the interwebs this year. It's a struggle at times to keep this thing updated on a regular basis but the leafblower wouldn't be my labor of love if it was easy. I have a few low-key things to announce in January (along with, hopefully, a redesign - *fingers crossed*), but until then, here's to a fun-filled and action-packed 2008!

December 25, 2007

Happy Holidays!

November 21, 2007

Holiday Road

I just sent the last email out and cracked my first beer of the day. My Thanksgiving holiday has officially begun! Unlike everyone else, Ms. Smith and I aren't traveling until tomorrow. We're taking an early flight out to Seattle to enjoy some turkey in the great Northwest. Should be fun. The weather looks pretty good too. Bonus.

On the docket: seeing some old friends, Pagliacci Pizza, the Pike Place Market, Top Pot donuts and the Sonics v. Nets game on Friday night. Our official "drinks with friends" night is Monday at Two Bells on 4th Ave, so come on out and say hi if you're so inclined.

I will be blogging occasionally while I'm out there -- mostly photos -- but I'm not officially back on the clock until next Wednesday. Have a safe and happy holiday everyone.

September 19, 2007

Sleepy

September 5, 2007

New Nails For The Old Cat

Mr. Pink had to go to the vet today. He wasn't very happy about it, but he's had an outbreak of eye gunk since we moved into the new place. It's gotten better since the weekend, but I still wanted him to get a checkup (Hey, I went to the doctor yesterday, he can too). The diagnosis is nothing serious, but I do have to put this gel into his eyes twice a day. Boy, he loves that.

While we were there I had him fitted for some soft claws, little plastic claws that go over his real claws that will cut down on some of the scratching damage he causes. I'm not going to declaw him, so hopefully this will be a better solution. The nurse tried to talk me into pink caps, but I went with the clear ones this time around. But maybe next time.

Mr. Pink hates car rides and going to the vet, but he did pretty good today. He is currently in the next room conked out on the couch.

PS - Editors, last night. Pretty damn good. Tom's voice is really amazing, it's easy to get lost in it during the show. The crowd was really weird though, and it sapped much of the energy from the room. It's hard to explain, but lets just say I had no idea that so many people with bad fake tans liked Editors so much. To make matters worse, no photo pass.

July 4, 2007

Taking It Easy on the 4th

May 29, 2007

Travel Day

I'm off to sunny San Francisco for the week on business. You know, I really haven't been away from home enough this month (that would be three of May's five weeks on the road, for those counting at home). This should be more fun than Vegas though. I'm hoping to catch Voxtrot on Wednesday and Pela on Thursday. if you're going to either of those shows, gimme a holler.

I don't know about you guys, but I was a good American over Memorial Day weekend. I travelled, ate some awesome BBQ, saw Pirates of the Caribbean 3 (a big flaming pile of meh) and played some tennis. Good times.

In fact Mr. Pink is the only one not very happy right about now. After being away all weekend, I had to break the news to him that I would be gone all week. He wasn't very happy, as you can see.

I put up some more photos from Europe before I left on Friday. Unfortunately I'm not going to have time to do my witty little write ups.
[Photos] Brussels
[Photos] Brugges
Still to come, Cologne and the Rhine River Valley.

April 21, 2007

Four and Counting

I'm ashamed to say that I didn't even realize that today was the fourth birthday in the life and time of information leafblower dot com slash blog until Peabs reminded me of this yesterday. He knows because it's also his birthday. So hey, have a happy one and do it up bro!

Since it's the weekend, here's some Buk to celebrate.

writing

often it is the only
thing
between you and
impossibility.
no drink,
no woman's love,
no wealth
can
match it.

nothing can save
you
except
writing.

it keeps the walls
from falling.
the hordes from
closing
in.

it blasts the
darkness.

writing is the
ultimate
psychiatrist,
the kindliest
god of all the
gods.

writing stalks
death.
it knows no
quit.

and writing
laughs
at itself,
at pain.

it is the last
expectation,
the last
explanation.

that's
what it
is.

-- Written by Charles Bukowski, taken from his book Betting On The Muse.

April 11, 2007

Rowr!

April 6, 2007

On Call

Express interviews Eddie Izzard.
"I'm like a superhero, like the Human Torch. I can do flame on, flame off." Brilliant.
I still haven't watched this week's episode of The Riches, so don't tell me what happened.

Much like most big name touring bands, stupid Chuck Palahniuk appears to be skipping D.C. on his upcoming book tour. I almost fainted when I saw he's doing a reading with Irvine Welsh in NYC and Elmore Leonard in Philly. Jeezy Creezy!
Road trip?

Panic / First Of The Gang To Die / The Youngest Was The Most Loved / You Have Killed Me / Disappointed / Ganglord / I'll Never Be Anybody's Hero Now / William, It Was Really Nothing / Irish Blood, English Heart / I Will See You In Far-off Places / Girlfriend In A Coma / Everyday Is Like Sunday / In The Future When All's Well / I've Changed My Plea To Guilty / Let Me Kiss You / The National Front Disco / Dear God, Please Help Me / How Soon Is Now? / I Just Want To See The Boy Happy / Life Is A Pigsty // Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want / Don't Make Fun Of Daddy's Voice

January 9, 2007

Mr. Pink Hearts Krazy Kyle's Katnip Bag

Ms. Smith and I were at the pet store over the weekend getting some food for her cat when I happened upon "Krazy Kyle's Katnip Bag." How could I not buy that for the Mister? He usually doesn't go too crazy over catnip toys but he LOVES this thing.

December 20, 2006

Holiday Greetings

I'm off to sunny Southern California for the Xmas break. Everyone stay safe and have a great holiday break. My sources tell me that there is a very good chance that Santa is bringing me tickets to see the Celtics and Clippers square off on the 27th. w00t!

August 4, 2006

Furry Friday

June 20, 2006

Happy, Happy Birthday To Me

Groan. I'm turning 32 today. I guess that's not so bad. Here are some of the small things I'm feeling thankful for today:

1) I'm moving! In like 10 days. And best of all, no more roommates! This will be my fourth move in the last three years (and my record collection just keeps getting bigger and heavier) but I'm really psyched to move into my own place. I signed the lease and got the keys today.
2) New Portishead album!
3) Buffalo Tom in NYC on July 14th. Ms. Smith and I might be in town for that. I haven't seen them since like 1996 or so.
4) The Luna documentary is released today.
5) Fishscale. I listen to this album like 14 times a day. So far in '06 Ghostface and Goldfrapp are neck and neck for album of the year as far as I'm concerned. If you don't have this record then you are missing out.
6) The World Cup! Obvs.

And without turning into to a big cornball, I'm thankful for everyone stopping by here and reading what I have to say. I went over the 400,000 visitor mark a week or so ago and that, to me, is just mind boggling. When I started this slice of the interweb, I didn't think anyone other than me would read it. Ha!

Also, do I lose all of my cool points if I say the new Keane single isn't half bad? You can go here and download it.

May 10, 2006

Cover Me

Not much going on around the internets today, which is a shame since I have some free time. Oh well. My pro Flickr account is back up and running, just in time for the Mogwai show tonight. This will be my first ever time seeing them, so I'm v. excited. I'm not that familiar with their work, but I have hear nothing but amazing things about their live show. So we'll see.

Even more covers over at Pop Geek, including The Delays covering Aha and Franzia doing Gwen Stefani.

Ghostface for Intonation (surprised Pitchforkfest couldn't get him) and Kings of Leon are opening for Pearl Jam in Australia. Related: The new Ghostface album is incredible. Go to Best Buy ASAP and drop your $9.99 for this shit. Straight Fire.

April 21, 2006

Three Years

Elbow was/are fucking mega. Webster Hall wasn't so bad. Big space, great lighting, tall stage. No complaints at all. The same cannot be said for openers The Cloud Room. They were horrible. Met up with Central Village and Jen Daily Refill after the gig and drank late into the night with the obligatory night cap at O'Connors in Park Slope. Visitng NYC is fun but I'm glad I don't live here anymore.

September 19, 2005

Think Good Thoughts

Everyone think good thoughts for my little guy today. He's at the vet getting nuetered. I held off on it as long as I could, but he was starting to spray things in our den and it was smelling not so good. The good news is he doesn't have to stay at the vet's overnight. I can (and will) pick him up after work. Although this means another trip in the evil, evil car, something Mr. Pink does not care for. If anyone else out there (in the greater DC/VA/MD area) has a pet they need to get nuetered or spayed, I highly recommend spay dot org. Once you sign up, they assign you to a local vet and charge you just $75 for the procedure. Anesthesia and pain meds are a bit extra, but it cost me about half of what my old vet wanted to charge me.

Anyone else sick of bloggers talking about CMJ? Fuck David Bowie and the Arcade Fire. The only show at CMJ worth seeing was Tom Vek + Mylo. Last night I downloaded Mylo's essential mix from April and I'm listening to it now. Anyone got a tracklisting for this thing? Shit is ON FIRE. **Update** Here is the tracklisting. Thanks Daniel.

A little birdie told me the Furries will be in DC the second week of November. Last night I decided the perfect tour would be a co-headlining tour with the Furries and Echo & The Bunnymen with Mylo DJing in between sets and after everything was done. And maybe have The La's open a few dates. I would seriously go see that show like 15 times. Yes, I'm a huge dork and I think about things like this.

September 5, 2005

New Toy

August 1, 2005

And on the Fourth Day, They Rested

For some reason, after taking two and a half days to move all of my crap to my new place, I didn't get sore until yesterday. Weird, but it kept me from doing any further unpacking and organizing. However, my room is up and functional. Once that was set up, I rested. Just like Mr. Pink:

- Guess I'm going to Brooklyn (or Staten Island) at the beginning of October. Oasis is headlining something called the Across the Pond festival. Full line up to be revealed soon(pleasepleaseElbowpleaseplease). Coolfer, prepare the guest room! And by that, I mean the couch in your den.

July 10, 2005

Hi There

July 5, 2005

Top Five of Oh-Five

Everybodyelse is doing it, yada yada yada. Although for the record, I wrote this entry on Friday. Here are the five albums I've been digging the most this year.

1) Mylo - Destroy Rock N' Roll
Record of the year, no doubt (keep in mind I'm saying this with a Super Furry release on the horizon). Dance music for people that don't really like dance music. I listen to exactly two "dance records" on a semi-regular basis (Exit Planet Dust and Everything, Everything), this will be the third. I got this record back in February and I haven't stopped listening to it since. They need to hurry up and release this domestically before I've made copies for all my friends and they have no reason to go out and buy it.
Download: Mylo v. Tegan & Sara - Walking With a Ghost In Paris (mp3)

2) Kings Of Leon - Aha Shake Heartbreak
I absolutely hated this record the first two times I listened to it. The singer's pronounced Southern accent really turned me off, but their fantastic guitar playing kept drawing me back in. These guys out-stroke The Strokes in that department. Their axes don't exactly shred, but they fit together perfectly and they have some killer riffage, dude. Part of me wishes I was still in NC, because this is probably one band I could turn all of my DMB listening college friends on to no problem. I can't recommend this record enough. I also like that the longest song on the entire CD is exactly four minutes long.
Download:King Of The Rodeo (mp3)

3) Spoon - Gimme Fiction
Not as immediately attention grabbing (at least to me) as their last two records, but Gimme Fiction still wormed it's way into my brain after a few listens. This is the sound of Spoon going for it, but Britt never strays far from his tried and true "less is more" formula. The record has a bigger sound than any of his past work, but that's mostly because of the production. There are some killer songs on here, and best of all, it's good entry point for anyone wanting to give the band a try.
Download: The Two Sides Of Monsieur Valentin (mp3)

4) Feist - Let It Die
Yes, there's alot of covers on here, but when I first listened to this record, I had no idea they were other people songs. Feist steps in and out of genre's like she owns them. This is another record I've turned alot of people on to since I heard it. And every one of them has liked it.
Download: Secret Heart (mp3)

5) Futureheads - self titled
Technically this record came out in October of last year, but I didn't hear it until this year. When I saw them earlier in the year, I described them as "Teenage Fanclub if they started a Jam cover band and dressed in business casual wear from J Crew," and I'm sticking to it. The four part harmonies on this record are great, but what really gets you is the energy in the songs. It's really infectious. I can't listen to this CD on the metro because I start playing air guitar and dancing around and everyone starts inching away from me.
Download: First Day (mp3)

How was everyone's weekend? Mine was v. relaxing. I watched a bunch of movies (again with the movies!), went to Kanishka and Martin's cookout on Sunday, started preparing my setlist for this Saturday and then watched the (quite underwhelming) DC fireworks display last night. I got home too late to post any pics, but I did snap this one yesterday during my practice time on the 1's and 2's:

June 16, 2005

Gimme Five Four!

Oasis (all of them) are in Canada. They played a short, Liam-less set for The Edge yesterday before their proper gig sponsored by Molson Canadian later that night.

The Edge set list(all Noel, all acoustic):
Live Forever / Wonderwall / One Way Road / Talk Tonight(!!!!) / The Importance of Being Idle

Worth noting was this exchange from Noel,"Does anyone know a song called 'Rockin Chair'(to which there were some cheers)?" Noel then said "Well we're not playin' that. Does anyone know a song called 'One Way Road'(to which there were not as many cheers)? Noel then said "I guess we chose the wrong song then hahaha". It's worth noting that 'Rockin Chair' is one of my favortist Oasis songs ever and I've never heard them play it live. If by chance they drop that one in D-town, I advise you to clear the area immediately because I might spontaneously combust. You think I'm kidding.

Hunting for the MP3's right now. If you have them, hit me up. I found an MP3 of a similar radio gig that the full Oasis lineup did in Europe (which I will post tomorrow) and it's worth noting that Noel is playing Wonderwall very similarly to how Ryan Adams does his cover, right down to the phrasing and everything. Copycat!

I think this is missing a few songs. Still no 'Hindu Times'. Apparently Dave Grohl was in attendance. I have no idea why I felt compelled to mention that.

If you think this is bad, you better be glad I didn't have a blog back in 1996. For serious.

I haven't plugged a column by the Sports Guy in quite a while, but his new one is good stuff. It mentions Chris Corchiani, Mr. Peepers and the contains following sentence:By the way, every time they show that Dockers commercial with The The's "This Is the Day" playing in the background, a little piece of my soul dies.
Anyone remember when Corchiani was at NC State and his shorts said "Corch" on the front in little white letters? Hilarious.

May 30, 2005

Play Time

May 26, 2005

Turn Up The Sun

"Will you PLEASE get that effing camera out of my face for just two seconds? You know, I WAS napping peacefully before you started snapping pictures. Jerk."

Went to bed at 8 PM last night. I feel like a new person. 24 was good but I still think the whole China kidnaps the CTU guy plot thread was a bit wacky.

Sweet, sweet sunlight today after two days of gloomy, rainy, overcast drudgery. I know the doves were just in town, but c'mon. I mention this because my trusty iPod Photo just cued up my second favorite song from Don't Believe The Truth, which shares it's name with the title of this post and was written by Mr. Andy Bell. This song is so agonizingly close to being an instant classic that it pains me. It could have/should have been the backbone of this album. It has perhaps the greatest (and most apropos) opening line of any Oasis tune ever, I carry a madness / everywhere I go which sets the stage for a boot-stomping, barn-burner of a tune. It's Liam at his Lydonesque best. If I see you and I look right through / You shouldn't take it as a reflection on you. Huge guitar, thundering drums, it's ready for Glastonbury. There's just one problem and no, it's not the Love one another coda that Liam sings over and over. It's the sissy guitar intro and outro. This song needed a cracking riff that sets all hell loose, Acquiesce-steez, but instead we get some noodley, unexciting bullshit riff. So close, but still a great tune. I'll post it next week so as to not get sued by Sony today. But I have other treats for you today (see below).

Two downloads for you today, since I have the day off tomorrow and hope to not spend it sitting in front of the computer. Both of these were recently aired at bluestate:

Delakota: The Rock (MP3) - The perfect summer song, but don't just take my word for it. Listen to what Stylus has to say on the matter. Sounds like Tim Burgess singing over The Stone Roses. This is the single edit, I just like it better than the album version.

Lali Puna: B-Movie (MP3) - This is a fun, dancey tune that I've had forever but just got around to listening to recently. Me likey. Enjoy.

I hope everyone has a great holiday weekend. I plan on enjoying my four day weekend as much as possible even though I'm not leaving the greater DC area. Count on lots of BBQ's and perhaps even a DC United game, we'll see. Oh, and bluestate are DJing a house party tomorrow night. If anyone wants the details, just email me.

May 8, 2005

Spend A Lazy Sunday

Here are some treats:Stars:Elevator Love Letter (MP3) - Could I listen to this record any more? In retrospect I think the drummer in their live show leaves a lot to be desired. Live, their sound just wasn't crisp and tight, which is what these songs need. This is a perfect sunny Sunday tune.

The Wedding Present: It's A Gas (MP3) - This is the one I played on Thursday. I love it when they whisper "C'mon, C'mon, C'mon" and start laughing right before they kick it back in. Pure pop goodness.

April 12, 2005

Contractual Obligation

April 8, 2005

Asleep From The Day

I had the most gigantic sinus headache of all time last night so I sold my ticket to Trail of Dead in order to go home and do what Mr. Pink is doing here.

It was hard to skip the show, especially since I loved their last show in DC, going as far as proclaiming it as one of the Top Five shows I saw last year, but I spent alot of time with their newest record Worlds Apart this week, and frankly, I don't like it. There are only two songs I really like, the rest is pretty boring. I'm all for bands evolving their sound and moving forward, but I guess I'm not following what they're trying to do. Too much moaning and crooning on this record and not enough rawk. Mistakes & Regrets came on my iPod this morning and I thought to myself that none of their current soungs sound that fresh or urgent. I'm going to give it a few more listens, but it's most likely going to be going to to that great eBay sale in the sky.

Similarly, I wasn't digging the new Doves record Some Cities the first few times I listened to it. It just seemed bland and very samey, but last weekend, while it was raining, I drove around NoVa running some errands and it just clicked for me. I'm sure the Manchester-like weather had something to do with it, but it was just one of those things were you just suddenly get it. I think it's more of a headphones record, it sounds great on the iPod. The two singles Some Cities and Black & White Town are total keepers and now I'm really digging Snowden and Almost Forgot Myself (as evidenced by this months playlist). In short, go buy it if you haven't already, but keep in mind, it's a grower.

After finally seeing them live, I went out and picked up Lullabies to Paralyze, the latest from Queens of the Stone Age. While it's no match, sonically or artistically, for Songs For The Deaf, there's alot to like. Lullabies is missing the thunderous low end of that record, but the guitar riffs are much better, even if they are a bit repetitive. The back end of the record goes all wacky psychoprog on us, but the first seven or eight songs are brilliant. Again, it's worth your money.

Lastly, I was passed a copy of the OC Mix 4 featuring tracks by the likes of The Futureheads, Pinback, Sufjan Stevens, Beck, Humble Rodent, and a Champagne Supernova cover by Matt Pond PA. As much as I loathe the show, they've done a great job with these mixes (can't front on them for repping for the Super Furries in the past) and this can serve as a good primer for you if you have been meaning to check out any of the bands mentioned above. It plays like a mix tape you would make for a friend, and everyone likes those, right?

I finally assimilated and got my own Flickr page. Expect lots of cat photos. If you use Flickr too, add me to your buddy list so I don't feel like a total loser who only posts pictures of his cat.

Hot on the heels of his Velocity Girl postings, Frank Chromewaves tells us that Buffalo Tom might be returning to action. I fucking heart Buffalo Tom. I must have worn my Let Me Come Over shirt roughly 42 million times in college. It's all streched and faded now, but I just can't bring myself to part with it. I bought it the second week of school my freshman year. Yes, I'm a dork.